Send to a friendAre two-week budgets the new normal?

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David CohenAssociate professor of political science, The University of Akron :

Two-week budgets are certainly not an efficient or effective way to conduct the budget process, but House Republicans did not seem likely to budge from their two-week proposal and Senate Democrats were backed into a corner. Clearly, neither side wants to be blamed for shutting the government down. However, with the White House finally jumping publicly into the fray with Vice President Biden leading the negotiating team, the power equation may shift and Senate Democrats will have political cover.

With direct involvement of the White House, I’d be surprised if we see another short-term extension. My guess is that will either see an agreement covering the rest of fiscal 2011 or the federal government will indeed close for business.

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